Louisiana House Bill 92: Repeals warrant recall fee collected to fund a misdemeanor jail in East Baton Rouge Parish

This bill allows people who were assessed and paid the warrant recall fee to apply for a refund of that money. This fee is imposed in misdemeanor or traffic cases where an arrest warrant was issued and the defendant failed to appear in court. The finance director for the parish of East Baton Rouge is designated to receive requests, issue refunds, and notify applicants if their request is denied. The bill sets a deadline for requests, establishes parameters for resubmissions, and outlines where the remaining sum in the Misdemeanor Detention Fund should be allocated.

You can read the full text of the bill here.

Key Provisions

• The statutes that allowed the Nineteenth Judicial District Court, East Baton Rouge Parish Family Court, Baton Rouge City Court, Baker City Court, and Zachary City Court to impose the warrant recall fee and designate those funds to the Misdemeanor Detention Fund are all repealed (R.S. 13:1000.10, 1415, 2002.1, 2488.40, or 2489.1.)
• If the finance director fails to process and disburse a refund as outlined by this bill, the applicant is entitled to interest on the amount of the refund allowed by the request.